Department of Justice

Jury Convicts KC Man of Illegal Firearm Used in Shooting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal trial jury today for illegally possessing the firearm he used to shoot another person.

Rico V. Gilliam, 34, of Kansas City, was found guilty of two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Gilliam was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun on Oct. 17, 2014, and again on Nov. 6, 2014. Gilliam also possessed ammunition on Oct. 17, 2014.

Kansas City police officers responded to a residence at about 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 17, 2014, to investigate a shooting. The victim told officers that Gilliam had fired two shots at him during an argument that occurred about 3 a.m. the same day, and one shot had struck him in the leg. He also said Gilliam pointed the gun at him and threatened to shoot him in the face. The victim and his girlfriend then walked to a nearby car lot. They jumped a fence and hid inside a Jeep until they called the police later that morning. Investigators interviewed several witnesses who confirmed the victim’s account.

On Nov. 6, 2014, officers located Gilliam inside a Kansas City, Mo., apartment. The apartment’s resident and several guests left the building while officers attempted to contact Gilliam. Another apartment also was evacuated. A tactical squad negotiated with Gilliam through a loudspeaker to come out of the residence. After approximately 30 minutes, Gilliam left the residence and was arrested. Officers searched the apartment and found the Glock handgun in the attic.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Gilliam has two prior felony convictions for armed criminal action and prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, burglary, attempted robbery and robbery.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about five hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, ending a trial that began Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017.

Under federal statutes, Gilliam is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Moore. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at